


Better watch out

by joss80



Series: 2015 LJ h/c bingo prompts [2]
Category: NCIS
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-11
Updated: 2015-08-11
Packaged: 2018-04-14 06:03:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4553484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joss80/pseuds/joss80
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's an intruder at casa Gibbs at 3am. Christmassy!<br/>Written for the 2015 LJ hurt/comfort bingo. Prompt: Mistaken Identity</p>
            </blockquote>





	Better watch out

**Author's Note:**

> This is my second fic towards my LJ h/c bingo card.

The ever-so-slight creak that signalled the front door opening would have been almost imperceptible unless your name was Leroy Jethro Gibbs, and your had ears of a wolf, and it was 3am, and you were asleep in your basement.

And sure enough, Gibbs cracked an eye open in the darkness and kept still, listening.

A slow creak of the door closing followed, and then the attempted light shuffle of footsteps towards his living room. A pause, then, and he estimated that whoever was upstairs was somewhere near his couch. Then louder footsteps, not as much effort to tread carefully anymore, as the feet approached the kitchen.

He finally swung into action, some sort of fight or flight response spurring him on as he navigated his way quickly and quietly up the stairs in the pitch blackness, completely avoiding all the creaky spots en route, and slid in behind the basement door at the top. He watched through the crack between the door and frame as a hunched figure approached and started patting around on the wall as if looking for something.

Gibbs moved, then, swift and silent, and his fist made contact with the intruder’s face just as the kitchen light turned on. 

“What the _hell_ , DiNozzo?!” Gibbs yelled.

Tony looked up at him in disbelief from the floor near the fridge, blood pouring from his nostrils.

“You just broke my fucking _nose_ , that’s what!” Tony yelled back. Then, more quietly, “Fuck, it hurts to scream.” 

He looked towards the roll of paper towel on the counter and tried to scramble to his feet, but Gibbs put a strong hand on his shoulder and moved to grab it instead. He handed it to Tony, and then opened the freezer door and grabbed a soft-sided ice pack as well. 

“Here,” he said, and he crouched down in front of Tony and leaned the man’s upper body and head forward a bit. “Ice pack on top, paper towel underneath.”

Tony’s head came to rest against his chest, and Gibbs found his fingers working their way along the back of Tony’s neck in what he hoped was a soothing fashion. _Up and down. Side to side._

“S’nice,” Tony mumbled from below, and Gibbs couldn’t help the fond smile that stole across his face. Then his features morphed into a scowl as he remembered how the two of them came to be like that.

“So what on earth are you doing skulking around my house in the middle of the night?” he asked, trying to keep as congenial a tone as possible – not something he generally managed at the best of times, but if there was a potentially broken nose in the mix then he figured he’d at least try.

He felt Tony’s head sag heavier against his chest, and then a hand shot out quickly and pointed towards a sack lying nearby on the floor. Then the hand withdrew again, back to ice-pack-holding or nose-wiping duty.

“Preznts,” Tony mumbled. “Lites. Prolly brokun now,” he added dismally. “One relly smahl tree. _Chrismash_ , Jefro.”

Gibbs sighed at the use of his first name, at the ridiculousness of the whole situation, at the ridiculous thoughtfulness.

“So you thought you’d play Santa Claus to my Scrooge, and I beat you up for your troubles?”

“I wash looken for da lite swish.”

“One second too late, Tony,” Gibbs chuckled to himself, but he stopped short when he felt an arm wrap around his body and a hand attempt a head slap, one that barely reached to his neck.

“Yah.”

They stayed in silence for a few more minutes, until Gibbs couldn’t ignore the burning in his calf and thigh muscles any longer.

“Do you think you can stand?” He asked quietly, concerned, as he eased himself back from Tony and let a hand settle on the younger man’s shoulders.

“Bleedin stoppd,” Tony managed, and he tilted his head up towards Gibbs as he took the other proffered hand and pulled himself upwards. They stood chest to chest, face to face for a moment with their hands still joined, until Gibbs shook his head slightly.

“You need some _wet_ paper towel. You look like the nightmare before Christmas.” And he pulled Tony gently towards the sink, and made quick work of cleaning up the blood around his lower face.

“How’s my nose look?” Tony asked, more clearly now that he was unencumbered by ice packs and such.

Gibbs leaned in close, inspecting, and he watched as the green eyes in front of him opened wide and dilated simultaneously. Then he raised a hand up and let his fingers gently palpate over Tony’s cheek, up and over his nose, and down the other cheek.

“Don't think it's broken. Pain?”

“Not too bad,” Tony smiled, raising his eyebrows and looking surprised at his self-assessment. “Although I might need a few painkillers to tide me over.”

“Tide you over for what?”

“While I bring the spirit of Christmas into your house.” Tony looked at him expectantly. “It’s the least you can let me do after acquainting my nose with your hard fist.”

“Not at three in the morning, Tony,” Gibbs sighed. “Let’s grab some pills and get some sleep first.”

“Are you gonna give me some TLC?” Tony asked flirtatiously, as he followed Gibbs up the stairs.

“ _Sleep_ , Tony,” Gibbs responded forecefully. Then, without missing a beat, “But if your nose is still sore in the morning I’ll kiss it better.”


End file.
